The Way Home
by AFincorporated
Summary: The seven wake up one morning to find their kids missing. Meanwhile, the six legacies wake up in a warehouse with no idea who they are or how they got there. The only clue is a video they left themselves, stating that they wiped their own memories. The seven (& Solangelo) desperately search for their kids while the legacies struggle to remember who they are and find their way home.
1. Going, going, gone

**AN: This is an F story, not an A story (this account is shared between F and A, so I have to specify). I don't own PJO or HoO. I got the idea for this story partially from Dark Matter, and partially from the episode of Doctor Who where he and Clara rob a bank. I think it's 'Time Heist' or something like that. Anyway, please review if you like it.**

The first thing that he knew when he woke up was the cold. It wasn't biting cold, like ice, but a slow chill. The blankets that he sensed should be wrapped around him were gone. Had they fallen off the bed?  
But when he opened his eyes, he realized he wasn't in a bed, and he couldn't remember why he had thought he should be. He was laying on a concrete floor, in a huge abandoned warehouse. The warehouse was falling down, and there was trash and debris in some of the corners. Early-morning light filtered through the grimy glass of the high windows, showing the dust in the air.

The third thing that he knew was that he didn't know how he'd gotten there. He didn't know where he was supposed to be and if this was it, and probably even more disturbing he didn't remember much of anything else. He knew there were gods. Greek and Roman. He knew… not much else. Nothing else. Not even who he was.

He sat upright, head spinning at this realization. There was a crinkle of paper, and he looked down at the piece of construction paper taped to his shirt. He pulled it off and stared at the single word written on it; _Raiden_.

Was that his name? It sounded like it was. Sort of familiar and warm, like a Christmas sweater you only wore once a year. He set the paper down and looked around again. He was alone, so he clambered to his feet. Raiden wore jeans, sneakers, and a purple longsleeve, and as soon as he was off the concrete he didn't feel cold anymore.

He ran to the door of the warehouse-like room. There were several doors, but the one he went to opened to a small office-like room. There was a dirty scuffed desk pushed against one wall, and several rock band posters on the walls, but Raiden immediately went to the girl passed out on the floor.

She was smaller then him but probably the same age. She was latina, with curly dark brown hair in two messy braids tied with rubber bands. She wore a bomber jacket and a Rolling Stones t-shirt and jeans, and she clutched a monkey wrench in one hand even though she was unconscious. Taped to the front of her shirt was another piece of paper, that read _Esperanza_. It wasn't exactly like his, though-the handwriting was scratchier and more slanted, and maybe more feminine. There was even a little smiley face drawn under the name.

Raiden kneeled next to this girl and shook her arm, hoping fervently that she would wake up.

She did, brown eyes flying open. Before Raiden could react, she smacked him in the nose with her wrench.

"Ow!" Raiden shouted, falling backward with his hands on his nose. It was bleeding, and Esperanza was scrambling to her feet and stumbling away from him, holding out the wrench like a sword. "What was that for?"

"Who are you?" She shouted, clenching her free hand into a fist threateningly. "Where are we? What's going on?"

"I don't know!" Raiden said, pressing his sleeve to his bloody nose. "I just woke up here, like you! I can't remember anything either!"

"Why should I believe you?"  
"Because we're in the same boat, from what I can see." Raiden groaned, moving his sleeve away. It had blood on it, but not as much as he had thought.

The girl, Esperanza, hesitated and lowered the wrench, sticking it through her belt. She pulled off the paper attached to her front. "Is this my name?" She wondered, staring reverently at the paper. "Who left this?"

"I don't know." Raiden shrugged. He took his sleeve away from his nose. It was bloody, but not as much as he had thought. "Whoever left _us_ here."

"C'mon," Esperanza said, pulling a rag out of one of her pockets and handing it to him. "Wipe off your nose. Um, sorry about that, by the way."

"S'okay." Raiden told her, and she pulled him to his feet. They both trudged out of the room, just in time to see a door across from them open and a smallish asian boy poke his head out. A pile of wood in one corner shifted, and a girl in a beanie climbed out from behind it. The front doors of the warehouse were shoved open, and another boy and girl came in with identical confused looks on their faces.

It took a while to sort things out. The asian boy had woken up with a paper telling him his name was _August_. The girl in the beanie was _Bianca_ , and the twins (they had to be twins, since they were identical with messy black hair and blue-gray eyes) were _Charles_ and _Cassie_. The handwriting on each paper was different.

None of them remembered where they were, where they were from, how they had gotten there. They didn't know if they were enemies or friends, who their families were, or even their last names. Cassie and Charles, the twins, knew they must be related, but didn't remember each other. Bianca guessed that they had all been criminals who had escaped Tartarus and had some memory loss as a result, but she seemed to only say it to worry August.

After a few minutes of talking, something else was established. Charles couldn't speak. They had him try to scream and swear and sing, but no noise came out. He looked worried.

Finally, the sun started to set. None of them had tried to leave the warehouse (except Cassie and Charles who had woken up outside and come in). They probably should, but nobody wanted to see what was out there, beyond the tall stone wall that the twins said surrounded them. Honestly, they were a little scared to.

The sun sank fully below the horizon.

The moment before the first star should've come out, there was a bang like somebody had set of a firecracker. The entire east wall (the only one without windows) was lit up with a huge square of white light that took the entire wall.

Esperanza stepped back, Bianca swore, Charles and Cassie grabbed each other, Raiden stared, and August turned into a dog.

Wait, did August just turn into a dog?

"How did you do that?" Bianca demanded as the dog turned into a sheepish-looking August.

"I don't know." August said, staring at his hands. "I can't remember."

"So what else is knew?" Bianca muttered.

"Is that a projection screen?" Esperanza asked, frowning at the motionless white square of light on the wall. "Are we supposed to watch something?"

"If it's something set up by whoever or whatever took our memories, I don't think we should do it." Bianca said immediately.

Cassie shoot her a glare. "Of course _you_ don't."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Esperanza and Raiden exchanged a glance. "What do you think?" Raiden asked her worriedly. He liked Esperanza more then he did the others. Not that there was anything wrong with them, just that she seemed more… familiar. Maybe they really had been friends before they lost their memories.

"I think we watch it." Esperanza said. "It's probably important."

"I agree." August said softly. Raiden tried not to jump-he had forgotten August was right next to him. Cassie and Bianca had stopped arguing, and Charles nodded in agreement with August.

"Alright," Raiden said nervously. "Let's do it."

"The projector must be up in the rafters," Esperanza scowled up at the darkness overhead. "To watch it, we'll have to climb up there and turn it-"

" _My name is Esperanza."_ We jumped again as the video started to play on it's own. It showed Esperanza sitting behind the dirty desk in the room she had woken in. She wore the same clothes she did now, looking tired and worried. She was tracing lines through the dust on the desk. " _I am fifteen, and a legacy on both sides. I agree to this memory wipe of my own free will."_

Esperanza stared at the version of herself who had her face stretched over the wall. "I told someone to take my memories?" She murmured. "Why…?"

The image changed to show Bianca sitting on the desk instead of behind it. " _I'm Bianca."_ She announced to the group and a very surprised-looking real-life Bianca. " _I'm fourteen. I'm a demigod who was adopted by demigods, so a legacy as well. August's cousin, so keep an eye on him, future me. I agree to this memory wipe of my own free will."_ She shot a glare at whoever was holding the camera. " _I also declare that you are all assholes."_

The rest of them were cycled through. " _I am Cassie, twin sister of Charles. I'm thirteen, and a legacy. I agree to this memory wipe of my own free will_." She motioned to Charles, who was sitting next to her on screen. " _He's Charles. Thirteen, also, and a legacy, kind of obviously since we're twins. He agrees as well._ "

" _I am August, a legacy, and I'm thirteen. I agree to this memory wipe of my own free will."_

And then, the moment Raiden had been dreading. His own face appeared on the screen. " _I'm Raiden, a legacy like most of the others. I'm fifteen, sixteen in a few weeks. And I agree to this memory wipe of my own free will."_

The image turned black. The video turned itself off. They stood in silence for a few moments.

"What do we do?" Cassie asked finally, her voice echoing in the warehouse.

"I guess we find a place to sleep for the night," Raiden said. They turned to him with respect, even Bianca. He wished he hadn't said anything, but he could feel deep inside him that leading them was supposed to be his job. He didn't seem to like it very much, though.

"Wait," August called as they all started for the door. He had his eyebrows scrunched together over gold-specked eyes, which were the first thing Raiden had noticed about the younger boy. "I have a feeling…." He turned and ran to the pile of wood Bianca had been behind when she had woken up. He started to pull it aside.

The rest of them trailed after him as he shoved the last plank aside to uncover a trapdoor. Bianca whistled appreciatively. "Way to go, cuz." She said, ruffling his hair. He swatted her hand away, but still looked pleased with himself.

For two people who were supposed to be cousins, Bianca and August looked nothing alike. Of course they didn't, Raiden realized as they pulled open the trapdoor, Bianca said she's adopted. But still, they were almost total opposites.

August was shorter and stockier, with black hair that stuck up at the back and golden eyes. He wore a panda bear hoodie and purple t-shirt and cargo pants. Bianca was taller and willowier, with spiky blond hair streaked with blue, a freckled heart-shaped face and dark brown eyes, a camo bomber jacket and dark jeans and her black-and-white striped beanie. They couldn't have looked more different, not like it mattered.

They yanked the trapdoor open, and a light flickered on below them automatically. Bianca climbed down the ladder first, into the basement. August followed, then Esperanza and the twins, with Raiden bringing up the rear. He closed the trapdoor behind them.

The room below wasn't what he had expected at all. It looked a lot like a studio apartment, but a really nice one. The floor and walls were hardwood, with sections of brick, and a ceiling of metal sheeting that somehow made it seem more rustic and warm. It was two stories tall, easily, and the ladder touched the floor in the middle of the huge room. One corner was a spacious kitchen with stainless steel appliances, and cupboards stuffed with food. For some reason, there was three boxes of blue food coloring on the counter. In another corner was a flat screen TV and plush couches covered in pillows and blankets. The fourth wall of the room was all bookshelves, with one of those old-fashioned ladders that rolls along against the wall. A fireplace crackled merrily, with two armchairs in front of it for reading. A round wooden table by another wall was flanked by two cupboards of board games.

Two sets of metal spiral stairs on either side of the ladder but away from it by almost ten feet, wound up to metal catwalks that connected to two wooden doors set in the walls. A chalkboard hung on each, one marked _girls_ and one marked _boys_.

"Bedrooms?" Cassie guessed, pointing at the doors. Charles nodded.

They moved together in a clump to the girl's staircase, glancing around mistrustful at the room. Actually, Bianca and the twins didn't look very mistrustful, more like they wanted to raid the kitchen and collapse in front of the TV to binge netflix, but they all stuck together.

The girls door led to a short rosewood hallway with bright paintings on the walls. Three doors opened into three more rooms, each with a chalkboard with one of the girl's names on it. They went into Esperanza's room first, and were met with a blast of hot steam.

It was huge workshop with different platforms holding different types of machinery and equipment. There was also a laptop set on one workbench, and a queen-sized four-poster bed against the opposite wall. The bed was partially made of metal, and was wired into the walls. The comforter was bright red, and a dark brown beanbag was next to it.

Esperanza flopped down on the bed. "This is definitely my room. This just feels so right, especially all the machines and stuff."

"I want to go see my room!" Bianca insisted.

"Alright, but I'm coming back here later for sure." Esperanza said reluctantly.

Bianca's room was next. It wasn't as big as Esperanza's, but it was cozier and friendlier. The walls were blue, the carpet black, and the one large window flanked by dark purple curtains. The window opened onto what looked like a sixth-floor fire escape over a NYC alley, but when Bianca tried to climb out she found she met an invisible barrier. There was a twin bed, rock band posters on the walls, and a cherrywood desk.

Cassie's room was the best out of the three, especially in the twin's opinion. They opened the door and stepped onto a tropical beach. That's really what it was, like they'd just stepped through a portal. They found that there was an invisible barrier around them in all directions, but that went out far enough for Cassie to have a large swimming area, lots of sand, and an ice-cream truck parked on the top of a small grassy hill. A four-poster bed covered in fluffy white blankets sat serenely on the sand, and the water was the perfect temperature.

By the time they had thoroughly explored each room, they were all exhausted. They made spaghetti in the kitchen, watched Doctor Who, and went to their rooms. Charles took a few books from the shelves before climbing the stairs.

Raiden went into his own room, rubbing his eyes and yawning. It was just as odd as Cassie's bedroom, he found. A large round marble platform in the middle of the clouds overlooking what was probably New York City, as a storm raged around it. A glass dome covered the marble platform, keeping it from getting wet. It had beanbags, a comfy bed, and shelves of games and books. Ignoring his strange surroundings (which for some reason seemed comforting, the raging storm especially), Raiden fell into the bed fully-dressed and immediately fell asleep.

 **Valdez Family Villa, New Rome, CA**

 **Meanwhile**

Leo woke up that morning with the feeling that something was wrong. He couldn't have explained it had somebody asked him to-it was just there, a voice nagging at his mind telling him something important.

He sat up in bed, the early-morning light coming through the window practically blinding him. He glanced next to him automatically, but the empty place in the bed next to him was still there the way he knew it would be. Calypso had been dead for almost two years, and still it surprised him every morning to find himself alone. He sank back against the pillows, hoping that Calypso was the only thing bothering him today. But there was still that urgent tapping in his skull, telling him something.

Without another look at Calypso's empty side of the bed, Leo softly left the room and went down the hallway in his pajamas. The feeling of dread hadn't lessened, but actually grew worse as he knocked softly on his daughter's bedroom door. It creaked open, and Leo leaned around it with a hand over his eyes.

"Esperanza? You awake, _carina_?"  
No answer.

Leo looked into the messy bedroom, clothes and books and pieces of metal strewn across the floor like landmines to keep out unwanted visitors. Leo carefully stepped in, nearly putting his foot on a scrap of metal. "Esperanza?"

He crossed to the bed, reaching out to wake up his daughter. But the bed was empty, didn't even look slept in. Leo tried not to panic as he left the bedroom, calling Esperanza louder with every step. Leo flew through the house, searching every room twice. Esperanza wasn't there.

Leo was alone in the villa. He stood in the middle of the living room and turned all the way around twice, as if hoping Esperanza would appear if he blinked. He couldn't lose his daughter, too. They needed each other. Leo tried not to think the worst, but he couldn't help it. She would've have left on her own without at least telling him. Something was so very wrong.

"Okay," Leo told himself, talking out loud. "Find her. I need help to find her. And maybe if Esperanza is gone, then everyone else's kids are as well. Raiden, August, Bianca, the twins-" Leo nodded decisively. Even if Esperanza had been the only one taken, he would still need the help of his friends to get her back.

Leo hurried into the bathroom and turned the shower on. "Piper Grace," He told the shower, tossing in a drachma from the bowl kept on the windowsill for this reason. His friend's face filled the image, and from the look on it Leo knew Piper's son was gone as well. Raiden Grace was a good kid, except when he spent too much time with Esperanza or Bianca. Now Leo was sure something was wrong. Maybe Esperanza might've snuck out, there was a very small chance of it, but Raiden? Never. He was his father's son in most ways.

"I was just about to call you." Piper said. Her eyes were red-tinged, like she had just stopped crying, but her voice was strong. "Raiden's gone. Jason is checking the garage."

"So is Esperanza." Leo told her, and she looked pale. "I think all our kids are gone, the rest of the seven. Probably Bianca di Angelo-Solace, too. They've been taken." Leo insisted. "Get everyone together. I think it's time for Rachel's next prophecy."

 **AN: thanks for reading! If you read all six pages of this then you must like it, so you have no excuse not to favorite/follow and review. So do! (please and thankyou). Sorry that Calypso's dead. I just edited this chapter, so if you've already read it and you saw that Calypso is now dead when she wasn't before, I apologize. It's important. Otherwise I wouldn't have, because I love Caleo. Author out.**


	2. Sunshine

**AN: I don't own PJO or HoO. Thanks to limegreen124, Petesmurf, and Sally Stevens for being the first ones to review! I really appreciate it, especially since they were all really nice reviews. Thanks for reading, y'all. Also, Calypso died two years ago in this fic, just in case anybody missed that.**

Esperanza woke up with a headache. It wasn't a small buzzing, but tendrils of nausea that started in her head and crept down her neck. It got worse when she sat up, and her vision momentarily swam with multicolor dots. She rubbed her eyes, and the spots went away, but the nausea remained. Esperanza wondered if this was a side effect of losing her memory.

She climbed out of bed. Her bedroom was amazing-full of machinery and tools, pistons and gears and circuits. It felt familiar and welcoming, like she was back where she belonged. But this couldn't be her home, could it? This couldn't be where she was from. She had to have a normal house and a family somewhere, didn't she?

Esperanza found the closet at the back of the bedroom. The clothes hanging in it all fit her perfectly, and were all her style. Jeans and cargo pants, dark shirts, and a clean bomber jacket. Esperanza showered in the bathroom attached to her bedroom and got dressed, then went downstairs.

Raiden was the only other person up. He stood in the kitchen, leaning against the counter and nursing a mug of tea. Raiden stared off into space, his face blank.

"Morning," Esperanza called, leaning against the banister of the stairs. Raiden jolted, spilling tea on the counter. "Sorry,"

"Not you." Raiden told her, wiping up the mess. Esperanza helped, even though she got the sense she wasn't the type of person to voluntarily clean something. "I just totally spaced out."

"Do you have a headache, too?" Esperanza asked, rubbing the sides of her head. "It feels like someone hit my brain with a hammer."  
"No, I don't." Raiden said, giving her a worried look. "Can I help?"

"Don't worry about it." Esperanza said, wishing she hadn't said anything. She really didn't know anything about this boy, though she thought he was a good person. And he seemed familiar. Not necessarily friendly, just like someone she knew. Like when you ran into someone you met at the grocery store and you weren't sure it was them, or whether you should say hi. Familiar but edged with uncertainty.

Esperanza realized she had been staring, and Raiden had an eyebrow raised. "Sorry," She said for the second time already that day, opening the fridge to hide her face. "I spaced out, too."

"It's fine." Raiden told her. They sank into an awkward silence, which was thankfully broken a few minutes later when Cassie came downstairs. Charles followed a few minutes later, and both of the twins had dressed in denim shorts and a white t-shirt. They had the same messy windswept black hair, friendly round faces and freckles, and intelligent blue-gray eyes. If they had been the same gender, they would've been identical.

"Morning!" Cassie chirped cheerfully, pouring herself a bowl of cereal. "I love my bedroom. I don't think I've ever slept better in my life. I mean, I probably haven't." She bit her lip, her face clouding.

"Yeah, my room is awesome, too." Raiden said to cheer her up. Cassie was three years younger then him, but he still liked her. She seemed honest, and Charles equally so (even if he couldn't talk). "It's the top of a huge marble platform that's floating above New York City, all surrounded by clouds and rain. It's perfect."

Esperanza shook her head. Then she wished she hadn't, when her headache got worse.

The rest of them filtered in one at a time, meaning August came down a few minutes later and Bianca was forcefully dragged out of bed after another hour. When they were all ready, they sat down around the card table to decide what to do.

"I think we should go outside the warehouse and explore." Cassie said, drumming a beat on the table with her fingernails. Charles moved his hands arounds in a few complicated motions, and it took Raiden a minute to realize he was using sign language. He figured it out soon enough to catch the last word of his speech; _missing_.

"Charles has a good idea." Cassie reported. Raiden was glad she did, since he had learned the alphabet in sign language back in kindergarten and not much more than that. From the look on Bianca and Esperanza's faces, they were glad for the translation as well. "He wants to check the news on the TV and his computer to see if he can find anything about six teenagers with our names and faces going missing."

"Hey, yeah," Esperanza said, perking up. "That's brilliant. We can see if we've been reported missing, and maybe figure out what's going on from there."

"The twins can do that." Raiden said, nodding. "I say we send another group out of the warehouse to find out where we are, see if we can find anyone who knows us. Anybody volunteer?"

Esperanza immediately said no. "I want to," She groaned, rubbing her head. "But I feel like my head's about to split in half. I'd slow you down."

"I can go," August offered. "Bianca can as well."

"Yup." Bianca said. She had been trying to build a house out of cards, but it kept falling down. She shoved the cards into a pile frustratedly. "Sounds good."

"Okay. Then does anyone have any weapons?" Raiden asked hopefully. "I've been thinking about this, and are any of us armed?"

"I have a wrench," Esperanza offered.

The rest of them just glanced at each other and shrugged. "Now that I think about it, that's true." Cassie said, tapping the rhythm faster on the table. "There are no knives in the kitchen. No swords or bows or even shields in the bedrooms. Unless you count Esperanza's tools and a couple of frying pans, whoever left us here left us unarmed."

Charles did two signs. One that looked like llamas kissing, and one that Raiden was pretty sure meant danger. Charles held out his left hand like a karate chop and pointed his thumb on his other hand at himself, moving it forward and back a couple times. Then he did a few more complicated movements Raiden didn't follow.

Cassie nodded. The rest of them were confused. "Charles says its a date with danger to go unarmed, but it's worth it. We need to figure out where we are."

And that's why, a half-hour later, August, Bianca, and Raiden stood carrying butter knives and screwdrivers at the front door of the warehouse. Raiden felt pretty stupid wielding a welding mallet like it was a ray gun, but they didn't have anything better. At least his weapon was pointy. August held one of those big wooden spoons.

They left the warehouse, into a square yard inside the tall stone wall that went all the way around. The grass was somehow both overgrown and dead, and weeds sprung up everywhere. The air wasn't quite cold, but the wind was fast enough to make it seem that way. The sky was pale blue but it wasn't sunny.

After circling the entire warehouse, they realized there was no gate or break in the wall, so they had to climb it. This was harder then it sounds, since the wall was over teen feet tall and three feet thick, made of solid stone.

"So, what?" Bianca asked, staring at the top of the wall nervously. "I don't like heights."

"I think I can get us over." August said. He squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his fists like he was concentrating, and a moment later he was shrinking. His arms spread out and grew flatter, his head shrank and his eyes migrated to the sides of it, and he sprouted feathers. A moment later he was a large eagle sitting on the ground and looking dazed.

Bianca was the first to be carried over by eagle August. She squeaked when he lifted her up by her shoulders, and shouted several colorful swear words when she landed on the other side.

"Are you okay?" Raiden yelled over.

"%&*! #$!"

"You're okay."

August carried Raiden next, his claws digging into Raiden's shoulders painfully. August let go when Raiden was still five feet off the ground, so he landed on his back. Raiden laid there for a moment until Bianca's face appeared in his field of vision.

"You dead, or what?"

Raiden pulled himself up. August landed lightly and changed back to his human form, looking tired.

"How do you do that?" Bianca asked her cousin immediately. August frowned, uncertainly.

"I'm not sure. I just concentrate, and focus on the animal I want to be, and I change. I can't really explain it."

"I wonder who you're a legacy of to have powers like that." Raiden said, shielding his eyes from the light with one hand as he scanned their surroundings.

Grass and rolling hills stretched out around them. The grass was overgrown and yellowing, but not quite yellow yet. There was no sign of any other structure, as the wind whipped quickly across the emptiness, grabbing at Raiden's hair and clothes. Tightening his grip on his welding mallet, Raiden led the way up the hill.

They reached the top, panting and sweating. Even from here, there wasn't much to see. The fields went out in all directions, and in the distance Raiden could see where they stopped at a cliff and gave way to the sea.

"Are we on an island?" August guessed. Raiden turned full-circle, and in every direction he could see where the island ended. Past that, the black sea went to the horizon, haltered by just a few green dots that were too far away to help.

"We are." Raiden realized. "We're in the middle of the ocean."

"Guys," Bianca said softly. She wasn't looking outward, but up at the sky. Her face was blank, but her eyes gave away fear.

"What is it?" August asked worriedly, glancing up. He caught his cousin's arm, but she didn't look at him. "Bianca, what's wrong?"

"The sun." Bianca said, without looking away from the sky. She gulped. "It's gone."

Raiden looked up as well. Bianca was right. The sun was gone.

 **New Rome**

 **Meanwhile**

Nobody could relax. Nico paced back and forth on the porch, glaring at everything he saw. Hazel's hands trembled on her glass, and she stared off into space. Percy twirled riptide in it's pen form between his fingers, looking angry, and Annabeth watched nervously like it might turn into a sword at any moment and accidentally decapitate someone. Leo twisted wires and pipe cleaners into a complicated toy car, which he kept smashing and starting over again. Will kept rubbing his arms like he was cold, even though it was a bright day. The sun was on the other side of the building, so maybe that was it.

The seven, Nico, and Will were all waiting. Rachel wasn't there yet, and they had to hear what she had to say. They needed a prophecy.

The red-haired woman came around the house, finally, with her suitcase still pulled along behind her. "I came straight here," She said right away. "What's going on?"

"The kids are missing." Jason said. "We need a prophecy."

Rachel paled. "Alright." She took a deep breath, and then her eyelids fluttered and green smoke poured out of her mouth.

" _Travel south to face the beast,_

 _dark secrets did the children keep._

 _Searching for the reminders of what they lost,_

 _remembering only what it cost._

 _Hidden below and below once more,_

 _they shouldn't have opened up the door._

 _And finding not what they seek,_

 _but fates truly bleak._

 _For though they searched they did not see,_

 _conspiring with the enemy."_

Rachel gasped and collapsed, the green smoke dissipating. Percy and Jason caught her and lowered her onto a chair.

"That didn't sound good. And it was longer then normal." Frank said nervously.

"Yes, that's because this writer really needs to work on their prophecy writing." Annabeth explained.

Frank looked confused. "Huh?"

"Nothing." Annabeth said, shaking her head. "I think the first line tells us what we need to do. We have to travel south."

"' _to face the beast'_." Percy quoted. "What beast?"

"I'm more worried about ' _dark secrets did the children keep'_." Nico scowled, starting to pace again. "What weren't they telling us?"

"It doesn't matter." Leo said, slamming his tools onto the table. Everyone jumped. Normally, Leo was the happiest one among them. "We go south. We find them. Then we can figure out whatever they were hiding from us. Alright?"

Nobody argued.

"Great." Piper said, standing up. There was a determined look on her face. "Then everyone pack only what you can carry. We leave as soon as we can."

 **AN: thanks for reading! Sorry the prophecy is longer then it's supposed to be, but I couldn't shorten it without leaving out important things. Though I think it turned out pretty well *insert self-satisfied smirk here*.**


	3. Dreams and nightmares

**AN: Thanks everybody who's read this story or reviewed or followed.**

 **Sally Stevens: Nope, not on Ogygia. They're in a real place. As for Raiden's pairing, I haven't decided. I think I know who I want it to be, but it's going to be a surprise! (though you'll probably figure it out sooner) :) thanks for reviewing twice.**

Bianca was having a nightmare.

At least, she thought she was having a nightmare. It was certainly a dream, and it was scaring her, but it didn't feel like a nightmare. It felt like it was a memory.

In the dream, she was floating in the air next to a parked red sports car. The car was in the middle of the woods, and glowing slightly, and there was nobody else around. She sighed and tilted her head back, looking up at the night sky.

Then two girls and a boy burst through the trees, skidding to a stop by the red sports car. With a jolt, Bianca recognized the three people in her dream. It was her, Esperanza, and Raiden. They all looked scared, and were dirty and tired-looking. Esperanza circled the car, while Raiden and the other Bianca faced the trees, weapons drawn.

"He's right behind us!" The other Bianca hissed. The other Bianca held a bow, carved out of some sort of dark wood. The nocked arrow, with it's bright pink fletchings, pointed at the trees and the darkness. "I know I saw him!"

"This is crazy!" Raiden groaned, holding his golden sword tightly.

"Please, I just need one more-ha!" Esperanza stood in front of the trunk of the car. She reached out and pressed her fingertips to the lock. Her hand burst into flame, white-hot fire melting through the lock on the trunk.

 _How did she do that? How isn't she burned?_ Bianca wondered as she watched Esperanza yank the trunk open. Esperanza reached inside reverently, and lifted out something that emanated a friendly golden glow.

It was a longbow, almost five feet long, and carved out of gold. Silver engravings ran up the handle, showing little suns and hearts and crescent moons. The arrows in the quiver were golden as well, and the entire clearing seemed to glow a little in their presence.

"It got it!" Esperanza called triumphantly.

"But he's here!" Raiden snapped, as the trees in front of him and Bianca were blown to either side. They both screamed, but no wood shrapnel hit them. Standing there was a blond man, glowing with light almost too blinding to look at him.

"How dare you?" He shouted, and Bianca (the one having the dream) had to turn to shield her eyes. Then the dream faded to darkness, and she was waking up.

She sat up in bed, goosebumps visible on her arms. Outside her bedroom, she could hear honks and sirens, the sounds of the city. But she knew they weren't real-there was a button on the outside of the fake window that turned them on and off. So that she could pretend she was back wherever she came from.

Bianca glanced at the clock. _1:34_. She groaned and fell backward onto her pillows, but she knew she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep anytime soon. She slung her legs out of bed, snatching her motorcycle jacket from the desk chair and pulling it on over her nightshirt. She slid her feet into her slippers, and left the bedroom.

The girl's hallway was dark and silent. Every noise Bianca made sounded like cannon fire as she tried not to wake Cassie and Esperanza. She tiptoed down the stairs to the kitchen, where it was quiet and still.

She found a root beer in the fridge and curled up on the loveseat by the TV. She couldn't stop thinking about her dream, but even as she tried to go over it again, it started to blur. The edges of the memory she had found were out of her reach, the images and color fading and slipping away.

Bianca ran to the kitchen drawer, frantically searching for what she needed. She knew she was being loud, but there was no time to care. She found a pad of paper, and searched her pockets for a pen.

There wasn't one. She half-ran half-stumbled to the board game cabinet, yanking it open and tossing boxes onto the floor with a crash. She found a golf pencil as a light came from under the door to the boy's hallway. She couldn't care.

She started to draw desperately, and finished just as the last traces of the dream fled her mind. She stared at the paper for a moment, confused, wondering what it meant and why she wasn't in bed.

Then she passed out, and August got down the stairs just in time to catch her before she hit the floor.

Bianca heard sounds bubbling around her, forcing their way into her head. She heard voices all mixed together, but couldn't understand what they were saying. She lifted her head, but it felt heavier then it was supposed to be.

"Bianca?" Someone asked. It was Cassie. Bianca could tell because suddenly she could smell salt water and the beach and warm air. "Bee?"

"Dun call muh tha'." Bianca mumbled, her eyes opening. For a minute her vision was smeared, but then Cassie's face solidified over her. Black curly pigtails, grey-green eyes, friendly freckled face, and a crooked grin.

"How do you feel?" Cassie asked. "You passed out hours ago. It's almost seven."

"Wha' happened?" Bianca asked. Cassie lifted her head and pushed a pillow underneath so Bianca could sit up. The strength was slowly returning to her limbs, and she rubbed her eyes. She had a terrible headache, splitting her skull in two. Every movement of her head hurt it.

"We don't know. You ran downstairs at one thirty in the morning, started throwing things around, drew this, and passed out." Cassie handed Bianca a piece of notebook paper with a frantic pencil drawing scrawled on it.

It showed a rough blocky car with three stick figures next to it. One was holding a bow almost as tall as it was, and facing the three was another with lines around it that showed the fourth person was glowing. Written across the top in her own handwriting was one word; _REMEMBER_. Bianca didn't remember writing it.

"I did this?" Bianca asked, staring at it. "I don't remember that. I don't even remember getting up last night."

"Well you did. Woke everybody up, and you looked terrified." Cassie reported. She sat criss-cross applesauce on the coffee table next to the couch where Bianca was propped up.

"I have a theory." August said, appearing over Bianca's head, leaning against the couch. "I think that was something you dreamed. You must have thought it was important."

"Why would it be important?" Bianca asked. Suddenly all she wanted was to be left alone, a surge of anger wrapping around her mind. She had a headache, and she was hungry, and she wanted to be left alone. "Just go away, both of you."

Cassie looked a little hurt, but August was already gone. "We're trying to help, Bee." Cassie told her, snatching the paper out of Bianca's hand. "There's no need to be rude."

"Why do you keep calling me _Bee_?" Bianca demanded. "It's stupid."

"Fine." Cassie said, standing up. "I'll go, then." She shot a glare at Bianca and slammed the paper on the table, went around the couch, and left Bianca's line of sight.

The anger was already ebbing away. Bianca's head pounded as her eyes fell on the drawing again, so badly her vision blurred a little. She wished she hadn't snapped at Cassie and August. "Wait," She called miserably. Cassie was probably already gone.

To her surprise, Cassie leaned around the couch again. "What?"

"Didn't mean to snap." Bianca grumbled. "Don't go."

Cassie scanned her, and Bianca found she could look anywhere but the other girl. Finally, Cassie shrugged and sat down by Bianca's feet. "You should try deep breaths." Cassie informed her shortly.

Bianca knew she should apologize. She sort of had, but she knew a proper 'sorry' was in order. She just couldn't bring herself to say it, so she changed the subject. "Maybe August was right, and this is a drawing of a dream I had."

"Maybe." Cassie said, examining the drawing again. "But why would you think a dream was so important? Why can't you remember it? Why did you pass out?"

"I don't know," Bianca winced, pressing her hands to either side of her head. "I have a headache."

Cassie frowned, her eyebrows moving towards the middle of her forehead and worry lines appearing between them. She tilted her head slightly, staring at the wood pattern of the coffee table. "A headache…." She mumbled. "Didn't Esperanza have a headache yesterday?"

Bianca nodded. That was the reason Esperanza hadn't come with them when they had found the sun missing. She had stayed to lay down, while Cassie and Charles searched for six disappearing teens on the internet. They hadn't found anything about themselves, but Esperanza's headache had been gone by that night.

"Are my ears burning?" Esperanza called from somewhere teasingly. Bianca pushed herself up high enough to see Esperanza trotting down the stairs from the girl's rooms.

"You had a headache yesterday, right?" Cassie checked. She picked up the drawing, and Bianca imagined circuits buzzing inside Cassie's mind as she figured things out.

"Sure did." Esperanza said. She tossed her favorite wrench into the air and caught it again.

"Bianca has one now, and she can't remember last night." Cassie said. She tilted her head the other way. "I think… I think August was right, and this is a drawing of a dream Bianca had. The message across the top? Remember? Bianca was losing the memory, so she tried to remind herself. It must have been important. Now she has a headache, and can't remember. You had a headache yesterday. I think you must have remembered something as well, but you lost it."

Esperanza leaned against the back of the couch, looking dubious. "That or I'm not drinking enough water."

"No, listen to me," Cassie said. She stood up, turning to face them as more of the pieces fit together. "I think from now on, whenever one of us has a dream, we have to try and write it down the way Bianca tried to. We have to tell each other when we have headaches. Because I think our dreams…" She hesitated, like if she said it out loud it wouldn't be true anymore. "I think our dreams are memories."

"We're remembering things in our dreams?" Bianca asked. She wondered if this meant they could figure out what was going on, if they could piece things together from their dreams. "That's possible?"

"Maybe… maybe whatever wiped our memories didn't do it right." Cassie said, getting more and more excited. "Maybe each of our subconscious managed to catch a few memories, a few important things. Maybe those memories are surfacing in our dreams. Like how stress manifests as nightmares."

"If that's true-" Esperanza broke into a grin. "Then maybe we aren't stuck here. We might have a shot."

"And it's thanks to you, Bianca." Cassie said, casting a grin at Bianca. Bianca wasn't really sure why Cassie or any of them should be thanking her.

"All I did was a first-grade level drawing." Bianca mumbled, avoiding Cassie's eyes.

"Yeah, but we might not have figured it out if you hadn't managed to write this." Cassie said. "We might be able to find our families thanks to you."

"Oh, don't inflate her ego." Someone groaned. August was back. "I really don't think she needs it."

"It's true!" Cassie insisted. She turned back to smiling at Bianca. Bianca couldn't remember (well of course she couldn't remember) the last time someone had looked at her so warmly. "Thanks, Bee."

"Sure." Bianca muttered, not letting herself smile back. "Welcome."

"Now that that's all straightened out," Esperanza said, grinning and waving a hand as if to dismiss their best shot at remembering who they were. "Anyone up for tacos?"

 **AN: thanks for reading. See y'all next time.**


	4. Secrets found

**AN: I don't own PJO or HoO.**

 **Fiction Affliction: Thanks! I love Solangelo, too, so there will definitely be some of that in this story, don't worry.**

Raiden couldn't breath for laughing. Charles and Cassie were fighting, and it was actually hilarious. Charles held the TV remote above his head, and leapt over the back of the couch. Cassie dove after him, nearly grabbing the back of his shirt.

Charles was grinning maniacally, and Cassie was cackling with evil laughter. They chased each other all over the building, tearing through the kitchen, under the table, up and down the ladder, and through every bedroom.

Bianca, who was sitting on the counter next to Raiden and watching, shouted encouragement to Cassie. "You go, girl!" and "Never surrender!" and "Attack, attack!" seemed to be her favorites.

Suddenly Charles toppled forward, falling on his face. Cassie skidded to a stop next to him on the carpet, crouching next to him. "Charlie?"

Charles sat up, rubbing his head. He offered a thumbs up.

"He's okay, ladies and gentleman!" Cassie called with a laugh.

But Charles was quickly signing something, his hands flying through the air. Cassie watched curiously, then started nodding. "Hey, you're right, you're right,"

They both scampered to the edge of the carpet, and started trying to pull it aside.

"What are you doing?" Bianca asked, sliding off the counter and folding her arms.

"I think…." Cassie and Charles gave the carpet another yank. "It's attached to the floor. We have to get it off."

"Why?" Raiden asked, walking over with Bianca. "What are you looking for?"

"I think there's a trapdoor under there," Cassie said. Charles elbowed her. "Sorry, Charles thinks."

"Where's the trapdoor?" Raiden asked, stepping onto the carpet. Cassie and Charles directed him until he was standing on top of it, roughly where Charles had tripped.

"Raiden, we can't move the carpet if you don't move." Cassie said, but she was watching what Raiden was doing curiously.

Raiden crouched, holding his hand over the carpet by his feet, over the trapdoor. He was full of a strange feeling, a little like his entire arm had fallen asleep. The air around him seemed to twist and manipulate itself in a weird way, bending around Raiden. He sensed it, and he willed it to flow to his hand, the snapping and cracking too quiet for the others to hear all concentrated around his hand. He focused again, picturing it striking.

A bolt of lightning shot out of his hand, slamming into the carpet. There was a scream from Cassie, but Raiden focused harder.

The carpet was burned away, fire beginning to lick along the rest of the carpet. The trapdoor beneath was made of stone, so Raiden electrocuted the wooden handing instead, and it was blasted away. Then he leapt forward and slammed onto the trapdoor, letting it give way beneath him.

 **New Rome, CA**

 **Early that morning**

Nico and Will rushed around the house, taking care of the last few preparations before they left. Will packed ambrosia and nectar, and Nico found Bianca's bow in case she wanted it when they found her.

"Do you think Thanatos will help us at all? You know, because he's Bianca's biological father?" Will asked, zipping up his backpack.

"Probably not." Nico grunted. He attached his sword to his belt. "We can find her without his help."

"I hope so," Will said. He still looked worried. Nico hesitated, before putting his arms around his husband. He had gotten better at hugging, especially since they adopted Bianca, but he still wasn't always sure how to comfort Will. Will leaned into Nico, making Nico smirk. They were the same height now.

"She'll be okay." Nico told him. "We'll find her. She has her friends with her. And she's trained. She can take care of herself."

"I know," Will nodded. "I can't help but worry."

"I know the feeling." Nico sighed. "I keep thinking this is all a terrible dream, and I'll wake up anytime now."

"I don't think it's a dream."

"I don't really think so, either."

"It doesn't help that that prophecy didn't sound good." Will continued. "There was nothing in it that suggested us finding her safe and sound. It kept sounding like something bad had happened, or would happen."

"I'm scared for her." Nico admitted. It had taken a lot of his willpower to admit it, finally. But of course he was scared. His daughter was missing.

Will turned around so he was facing Nico. "She'll be okay, don't worry."

"Weren't you worrying just a minute ago?"

"It's much easier to comfort you then me." Will explained. "I think it's part of being a doctor."

"Mm-hmm." Nico said. Will leaned forward for a kiss.

A golden glow appeared by the front door, solidifying into a blond teenage boy with a bow over his shoulder. Apollo. Of course, he had to appear just then.

"Am I interrupting something?" Apollo asked with a smirk. Will and Nico both groaned, breaking apart. Will always found it a little strange how his dad looked younger then he did most of the time. "Sorry, lovebirds, but this is important."

"Is it about Bianca?" Will asked immediately. "Do you know where she and the other kids are?"

"No," Apollo shook his head. "None of the gods do. They're hidden by powerful magic."

"Then what help are you?" Nico growled. "Why are you even here?" Will glanced at Nico, who was glowering at Apollo. To be honest, Will had to resist the urge to shout at his dad, too. He was a god. He should be able to find his own granddaughter. But instead of losing his temper, Will grabbed Nico's hand to calm both of them down. Nico's expression softened a little.

"My bow has been stolen." Apollo said. "I think I know who took it, but I'm not going to tell you."

"Why not?"

"Because you don't want to know."

"We can't go looking for your bow, we have to find Bianca." Will told her dad, managing to keep his voice even and calm. "I'm sure you can find it without us."

"Aw, c'mon," Apollo broke into a grin. "All I ask is that you look for it while you travel. I want you to find Bianca, too, y'know. You two are my favorite ship."

"Seriously?" Nico raised an eyebrow.

"Seriously!" Apollo cackled. "Now get going, you crazy kids!" But as he disappeared again, a look of worry crossed his face. Before Nico or Will could say anything more, Apollo was gone.

"Strange that his bow goes missing at the same time as our kids after twenty years of peace." Nico frowned.

"Whoever took our kids might've taken the bow as well," Will guessed. He looked troubled. "We should look for it during our quest. I mean, Bianca comes first, but the bow is powerful. The arrows bring instant death or can bring back to life whoever they shoot. It would be bad if one of our enemies has it."

"Sure," Nico shrugged. "But I'm not slowing down our search for Bianca to find the bow."

"No arguments."

Someone knocked shave-and-a-haircut on the front door, making both of them jump. Will quickly kissed Nico, then busied himself packing supplies as Nico got the door. Leo stood impatiently on the front porch.

"You guys ready to go?"

"Yes," Will said, pulling on his backpack and appearing at the door next to Nico. "But there's something else we have to tell you all about."

 **Underground, unknown location**

 **Meanwhile**

Esperanza was curled up on her bed, alone. She didn't want to talk to anyone.

Except maybe Raiden. Raiden was the person she felt the strongest connection too, out of everyone there. But Raiden was with Bianca and the twins in the main room, and Esperanza was alone. She was okay with that.

She held the piece of paper with her name written on it. It was her handwriting, she was sure. She had left this paper taped to her front to tell herself her own name. Esperanza couldn't understand why she would have wiped her own memory. It just didn't seem right. What could've been so bad as to erase her own family and home from her mind? Did she want to know?

Esperanza sat up, pushing herself off the bed. She set the piece of the paper on top of the bedside lamp absent-mindedly, wandering to the closet for clean clothes. She got dressed and leaned against the closet door, unwilling to do anything much. She felt like any move she made would give her her memories back or erase them forever, and she didn't want to take the risk. Like if she stepped wrong everything would fall apart around her.

Esperanza smelled smoke. The paper she had left on top of the lamp was burning. Panicked, she rushed over and snatched it away, stamping out the flames. She started to examine it, to be sure it was okay, but as she flipped it over and glanced at the back of it, she saw something new there. Something that made her want to cheer or scream or laugh or cry. She wasn't even sure.

There was a photo, that had appeared on the back. It looked like a family photo of three people, two adults and a girl around twelve. They were sitting on a picnic blanket in the shade of a large beech tree, in mid-summer.

The person on the left was a latino man with curly hair, who was grinning at the camera honestly. He had his arm around the twelve-year-old girl in the middle. The girl was mid-laugh, and reaching up to give the woman on the right bunny ears. The woman was smiling kindly, and was beautiful, with caramel hair and big brown eyes. All three of them seemed happy and at ease.

There was writing just underneath the photo. _Family photo, three summers ago. Dad, mom, and me._

It was Esperanza's handwriting. Her hands started trembling as she held the photo, staring at the happy family in the photo. If the twelve-year-old girl in the middle was Esperanza three years ago, then the man and woman were her parents. Esperanza started to shake, crying despite herself.

She had a family.

She had a home.

The door of her bedroom burst open, and Bianca burst in. "Come quick, Raiden fell through the floor and shot lightning!" Bianca shouted, already running out again. Esperanza quickly wiped her eyes and set the photo tenderly on the nightstand, before running after her.

 **AN: The end! What did you guys think of this chapter? Tell me in the reviews, please, because I love reviews.**


	5. In the basement

**AN: I don't own PJO or HoO. Thanks to the people who have been reviewing my story, I really appreciate it. It encourages me to keep writing, so if you like this story follow/favorite or review! Thanks, everybody! And know… the moment you've all been waiting for….**

Raiden was suddenly falling through the air, much much farther then he had thought he would. Too far. The little light from the trapdoor he had just blasted open showed the floor rushing up towards him.

Raiden squeezed his eyes shut, wishing he wouldn't hit the ground for some reason. He waited to slam down. But then the air in his ears faded, and when Raiden opened his eyes he saw the floor a few feet below him. He hovered there, mid air.

"How-" Raiden lost his control, and he slammed face first onto the concrete.

"Raiden?" Someone shouted down to him. He rolled blearily onto his back, looking up at the square of light above him by about three stories of darkness. But there was something wrong about the light. It was brighter down there at floor-level. Raiden crawled onto his hands and knees, then his feet. " _Raiden?_ "

Someone else called, "Get Esperanza!"

"I'm good!" He called up. He wasn't sure they had heard him, since now there was scuffling and banging as someone went to find Esperanza. Raiden turned his attention back to the room. He walked towards a golden glow on the other side of the room, which had to be at least the size of the warehouse above. There's the sound of wind rushing through the room, though Raiden can't feel it. He wondered why that was, but before he could investigate, Esperanza shouted to him from the hole in the ceiling.

"Raiden, you okay?"

"I'm fine!" Raiden called, going back to under the square of light. Esperanza is leaning over the hole in the ceiling, her face worried. "I'm okay! I think I flew! I stopped myself from hitting the floor just in time. I don't know how I did it, though."

Esperanza didn't grin or laugh the way Raiden expected her to. Instead her face darkened, and she shot him a glare. "Well don't stand there bragging about it, get up here."

"I can't," Raiden admitted. "I don't know how I did it."

"Then freaking figure it out," Esperanza told him.

Raiden shook his head, then realized she probably couldn't see him and called, "No, there's something down here. Just a minute."

Esperanza looked like she wanted to argue, so Raiden hurried away from the square of light in the ceiling quickly. He was sure he could see it, now-a golden glow on the other side of the huge room. Esperanza shouted after him as Raiden ran towards it, but he had a feeling that this was important. There was a nagging at the back of his brain, screaming even louder then Esperanza to keep going.

Then Raiden saw it. A black sheet was draped over something faintly glowing golden on the ground. Raiden crouched and yanked the sheet away, revealing what was hidden underneath.

It was a longbow, almost five feet long, and made of solid gold. Silver engravings ran up the handle, showing little suns and flowers and hearts. It was set carelessly on the floor, with a quiver of golden arrows next to it. As soon as he uncovered it, the golden glow it cast intensified and lit up the entire chamber, lighting it up like it was daytime. The room wasn't a room, but a huge rough cave.

"Raiden?" Esperanza shouted. Raiden picked up the bow, noting how it much less then it should've, and ran back to underneath the trapdoor. "What's that?"

"A bow!" He shouted up to them. "I'm going to try to climb up to you."

"Get on with it," Esperanza told him. Raiden wondered why she was angry, but figured it might be better not to ask. He closed his eyes and tried to summon the same feeling he had when he had stopped himself from hitting the floor.

 _I want to fly._

His feet lifted off the ground. He flew slowly up to the trapdoor, and hands grabbed his arms to pull him through. He was glad they did, because it was right about then that he lost his concentration and would've fallen otherwise. Charles and Bianca pulled him through the trapdoor, and he carefully set down the bow and arrows for them all to see. He sank into a crouch, the rest of them sitting down as well automatically.

"Damn…." Bianca whistled appreciatively of the bow. "That's nice. That was down there?"

"Yeah," Raiden nodded. He felt tired from his short flight, but still full of adrenaline.

He could fly.

"Are you okay?" Esperanza asked. She had her arms crossed, and was frowning at him. Raiden wondered again what was wrong.

"I'm fine," Raiden grinned.

"Good." Esperanza said, then before Raiden could react she hit him on the arm with her wrench, hard. Jeez, did she carry that thing with her everywhere?

"Ow!" Raiden yelped. "What was that-"

" _What were you thinking you freaking idiot?_ " Esperanza demanded. "You lit the carpet on fire and blasted through the trapdoor without even thinking to get me and August? You just thought, 'hey, why don't I fall to my death? I've always wanted to try that!'"

"I don't think it's totally-" Cassie started to say.

"I'm sorry, Ez." Raiden said. He wanted to let Cassie defend him, so he wouldn't have to deal with this, but the look on Esperanza's face told him not to. He had scared her, and for that he was sorry. She was the one he liked the best out of these strangers he was living with-he didn't want to piss her off. "I shouldn't have just gone through like that."

Esperanza nodded, her anger fading. "Apology accepted. Stupidhead."

"Now that mom and dad are done fighting," Bianca interrupted. "Let's chat about this bow here, and how I really really want it."

"I'm not sure any of us should use it," August said, frowning at the bow. "It looks… it looks kind of familiar."

"You mean you remember it?" Cassie asked hopefully.

"No…" August shook his head slowly. "I've just seen it before."

Charles signed something long and complicated, and Cassie translated. "Charlie says he's seen it before, too. It was in a book he was looking through the other night. He's going to get it." Charles was already halfway up the stairs.

A few minutes later, he was back, holding up a paperback triumphantly. They all gathered around the table, the bow and arrows left on the couch. Charles flipped quickly through the book, looking for the right page.

He stopped on a page with a photo of the same bow. There were notes scrawled in the margins, with lines connecting to different symbols on the bow. The notes were in pencil, and not part of the original book. Written across the top in capital letters was; _APOLLO'S BOW_.

Cassie suddenly jerked back, wincing. "Cass, you okay?" Bianca asked, grabbing her shoulder to steady her. Cassie stared at the book.

She lifted it up and turned to the front page. Written in the margins on the title page was the words; _property of Cassie Jackson._

"Cass, this is your book?" Raiden asked cautiously. Cassie still looked shocked.

"I don't-I'm not sure. I had the feeling I knew it, but then I remembered. I remembered something, and it's already starting to fade, I have to tell you-" Cassie trembled a little. "I remembered Esperanza calling me in the middle of the night. She told me the bow was important, that it was the key to our plan. She had dreamed about it. But that's all I remember." Cassie winced, her eyes rolling into her head. She crumpled. Bianca and Charles, sitting on either side of her, caught her and lowered her forward gently so her head rested on her arms.

Charles moved his hands around quickly, signing something. Only August understood. "I think he says that if we're remembering things midday now, then maybe the memory loss will wear off. Maybe it's not permanent."

Raiden wished he could believe that. From the hope on Charles and August's faces, they already did. But Bianca was shaking her head, and Esperanza looked doubtful. Raiden just didn't feel like it was permanent. He felt like someone had used windex on his brain, and everything that had once been there was wiped clean.

Maybe he would never remember.

"I don't think so," Raiden said. "I'm sorry. I just don't think it will be that easy."

"Yeah, it was a longshot." August said, he and Charles deflating a little.

"But now we have a cool bow," Esperanza offered. "It must be here for a reason, and hidden for a reason."

"Did we bring it here?" Bianca guessed.

"I dunno." August shrugged. "Maybe we'll remember more. Maybe one of us will remember how it got here. Or how we got here."

"For now," Raiden said, turning back to the book they had abandoned on the table, next to the snoring Cassie. "Let's see what Cassie had to say on the bow, before she lost her memory."

They read through the brief page on Apollo's bow quickly. The typed paragraph under the photo says that Apollo's arrows bring instant death or can return to full health whoever they shoot, based on the shooter's intentions. The bow itself wasn't super important, but it had been given to Apollo when he was a child by Hephaestus, so Apollo could protect his mom Leto. Otherwise, it wasn't super important.

Cassie's notes in the margins were mostly about where the bow might be. _Probably with Apollo_ had been underlined, and another flip through the book found that the pages on Apollo and Apollo's chariot were scribbled on as well. Written in caps underneath the image of the chariot was _WITH THE BOW?_.

"Whatever we wanted with it, we definitely wanted it." August said. "All these notes are about finding the bow." He glanced at the bow, glowing merrily on the couch. "I guess we did."

 **Fresno, California**

 **Meanwhile**

Piper sat in the window booth of a cafe, cradling her cup of coffee. Normally, they would've sat outside while they planned what to do next, but not today. Today, everyone in California was staying inside. It was getting too cold to do anything else.

In the corner of the cafe, the TV was muted, but showing a news broadcast about the strange phenomenon that had puzzled the entire world. It flashed across pictures of weather maps, solar cycles, people in white coats in labs with telescopes pointed up at the sky. Then it changed to withering crops, biting cold winds, and stores running out of vitamin D pills as people hurriedly stocked up.

Piper turned away from the TV, to Will and Nico. Will wasn't looking good. He was pale and thinner then he should be, though the sun had only gone away the day before. He looked almost washed out, the sunshiney glow that normally surrounded him having faded. Nico's aviator jacket was draped around his shoulders, but he shivered a little anyway. Nico and Will were talking quietly, and holding hands. Piper couldn't hear much, but she guessed they were talking about Bianca, or their side quest from Apollo.

They hadn't heard from Apollo since he had made his mysterious request, and the sun had gone missing. But from Will's condition, Apollo couldn't be doing too well. None of them knew what could've snatched the sun from sky.

Piper tuned back into Jason, Percy, Leo, and Annabeth's conversation.

"The winds are getting stronger and colder." Leo said, with a glance at the TV. "Maybe Khione has something to do with this?"

"No," Annabeth shook her head. "Khione is up north. The prophecy said go south."

"I think the cold weather is just a side effect of whatever's happened to Apollo." Percy guessed, taking a bite out of his blueberry pie. "Without the sun, the whole planet's cooling down."

"The sun isn't really _gone_ , though, right?" Piper checked. "It can't be. There's still a big ball of fiery gas in outer space."

"Yes," Annabeth agreed. "But Apollo's chariot isn't going across the sky. Without that, the sun is nowhere near as powerful. We can't even see it anymore, but it's still there. It won't be enough to keep us lit and heated for long, though. The weather will get colder, and days will get shorter and darker."

"But what could make the god of the sun stop doing his job?" Jason wondered. "What could stop Apollo?"

Nobody had an answer for that one.

"Our first priority is still our kids." Leo said, and of course nobody argued. Apollo was just something to talk about that didn't make them all want to scream and punch things or burst into tears. Leo twisted his coffee cup between his hands nervously.

Piper knew that Leo couldn't lose Esperanza. None of them would ever be the same if they lost their children, but it was even worse for Leo. Calypso had died a short two years ago, when Esperanza was just thirteen. Leo had held it together, and he and Esperanza had stayed close. But if anything happened to Esperanza, Leo might not be able to handle it. Piper was worried about that.

And about Raiden, of course. He was the oldest of his friends, and he and Esperanza were inseparable, but Piper was sure that Raiden would be trying to protect and take care of the others. She almost wished he wouldn't, things would be easier for him if he didn't. But it was in his nature. Besides, Esperanza wouldn't let him do anything stupid (though somehow managed to do a lot of stupid things herself).

"I think it's pretty clear what we have to do for now," Frank said. "Keep going south, and looking wherever we can. Something will appear and tell us where they are."

"That seems pretty uncertain." Jason said.

"All the prophecy said was to go south to face the beast." Hazel said, nibbling a bagel. "So does anyone know of any beasts to our south?"

Suddenly Percy's eyes widened. "Oh-"

"Percy?" Annabeth looked puzzled. Then she seemed to realize something as well. "You think its-"

"Must be." Percy nodded.

Annabeth turned to the others. "Percy and I went to the sea of monsters once, the bermuda triangle. Two of the most famous monsters live down there, Scylla and Charybdis who guard the bermuda triangle. Beasts. And they're south of us."

"The kids are in the sea of monsters?" Nico scowled. "Okay, so we go to the sea of monsters and face Scylla and Charybdis. The sea of monsters is… well, a sea. How do we find six kids in someplace that big?" Nico and Will had stopped whispering to each other and had turned to join the others.

"We'll find them." Percy promised. "I can use my sea powers."

"But what if they aren't there?" Will worried. "If we go all that way and we were wrong?"

"We still find them." Piper said determinedly. "They'll be there."

 **AN: Thanks for reading. Please review, y'all, it helps me write. It's like you learn in science class: Genius writer + reviews = great story! I'll update as soon as I can.**


End file.
